Did you know that the Big Dipper is NOT a constellation? It’s actually an asterism - a pattern of stars in the sky, much like a pattern of clouds.

While there are many asterisms that are commonly known, none of them are constellations. Other fall and winter asterisms include the Little Dipper, the Winter Hexagon, and the Great Square of Pegasus.

The Big Dipper is part of the constellation, Ursa Major, the Great Bear. What most people see as the handle of the Big Dipper is the tail of the bear, while the bowl of the dipper is part of the body of the bear.